Soda & Soft Drinks Calories

Soft drinks such as soda are primarily known for containing a sweetener like sugar along with other flavorings. They are non-alcoholic by themselves but can be used to make mixed drinks, such as rum and Coke. A lot of soft drinks are made from carbonated water, but others like fruit punch are not typically fizzy. Because the common ingredient in soda and soft drinks is often sugar, namely high fructose corn syrup, they are considered to be empty calories. This means that for the amounts of energy listed per serving in the calorie chart, there are very few of the nutrients that your body needs to run like a well-oiled machine. Check the nutrition facts of your favorite soft drink to see. Instead of a can of Fanta fruit-flavored soda, the same number of calories could be consumed as a piece of fruit like a banana, which offers potassium, or an orange, which has lots of vitamin C. Diet sodas will contain fewer calories, but they have a high amount of artificial sweeteners, flavorings, and colorings.